Pharmacy Podcast Network

Is There a Pharmacist Shortage? CNN and Forbes reported this week, January 30th - February 1st, through two different stories about a staffing issue due to a shortage of pharmacists throughout the country. The statistics released by the US Department of Labor in fall of 2022 show that the total number of active pharmacists in the United States rose to a new record high of 315,470.  Today's guests are Alex C. Varkey, PharmD, MS, FAPhA APhA President-elect Designate; Director of Pharmacy Services at Houston Methodist Hospital - Texas Medical Center and Dr. Swathi Varanasi, PharmD Integrative Health Pharmacist.  Alex discusses the American Pharmacists Association stance on the subject of pharmacist shortages and Swathi discusses the changing roles of the pharmacist and her business Element Apothec.  Dr. Swathi Varanasi, or Dr. Swathi for short, is a bilingual pharmacist specializing in integrative and preventative health. Dr. Swathi has paved the way for other healthcare professionals to pursue non-traditional career paths through creating postdoctoral training programs, industry internships, and online courses. She is a speaker, author, and co-founder of the international award-winning plant-based wellness and skincare brand, Elēment Apothēc.

An exciting new, FDA Approved Class 1 over the counter health device is helping scores of pharmacies improve front-end sales.  The good news is the product provides people with hours long protection from germs, viruses and even allergens by lining the nasal passages with a protective gel barrier.  Dr. Gail Lebovic, a female surgeon and entrepreneur has developed the product, tested and is brining it to market. Almost by happenstance, two of the earliest customers for, the product, where two independent pharmacies.  Now scores of them, all across the coutry are selling NasoClenz to their customers.     For more information visit www.nasoclenz.com

Can anyone truly explain the dynamic comprehensive pharmacology of buprenorphine in 30 minutes or less? This isn’t pizza delivery folks, its pharmacology, brought to you by the Pain GuyTM! In this episode of the Pain Pod, we’ll run down the recent MAT/MATE Acts in respect to the elimination of the X-Waiver, and then dive into the pharmacological phun of buprenorphine including its synthesis, mechanisms of action, Mu receptor affinity, metabolism (half-life), max daily dose, induction/micro dosing, MME factor, ceiling effect, side effects, mcg vs mg approvals, misuse, diversion, abuse, costs, and access. Can it be done in less than a half hour? You betcha! Join Mark “Pain Guy” Garofoli on this episode of the Pain Pod. Come one, come all, to the Pain Pod!!! DEA Letter • https://www.deadiversion.usdoj.gov/pubs/docs/A-23-0020-Dear-Registrant-Letter-Signed.pdf MAT/MATE Acts (Presidential Ink) • https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/articles/2022/12/30/president-signs-bipartisan-measure-to-improve-addiction-treatment Buprenorphine Pain Management Products Narrative Review • Hale M, Garofoli MP, Raffa R. Benefit-Risk Analysis of Buprenorphine for Pain Management. Journal of Pain Research. 24 May 2021 Volume 2021: 14 Pages 1359-1369.

It was an absolute honor to interview my next guest, as she’s somewhat a celebrity in the pharmacy leadership and entrepreneurship space, and is the mastermind behind her coined term “pharmapreneur.” I have respectfully looked up to her for quite some time, and was thrilled to not only invite her on the show, but that we had so much in common in the way we view health and healing. Blair Thielemier, PharmD, is a business development consultant specializing in pharmacist-led billing models. She consults on and produces e-learning programs for state and national organizations, pharmacy wholesalers, payers, and technology start-ups. She has books and online courses available for individuals looking to leverage their pharmacy knowledge into monetized clinical programs at PharmapreneurAcademy.com. She speaks internationally about trends in leveraging pharmacists to improve value-based care. Make sure to stay tuned til the end of the episode where Blair shares some amazing upcoming opportunities including a healing and leadership retreat! Connect with Blair on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/btpharmacyconsulting/ And enjoy her free newsletter here: ​​https://pharmapreneuracademy.com/newsletter/ For more amazing content, visit us at https://drmarinabuksov.com  Music: https://www.purple-planet.com . *Disclaimer*: The statements made herein have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. Any/All products listed are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any diseases.

Pharmacogenomics consulting isn't the glamorous and highly lucrative career path some voices in the pharmacogenomics industry portray it to be... In this episode, Behnaz and Becky dispel the "get rich quick" myth about PGx and discuss what pharmacists need to know “beyond the PGX certificate” to be successful creating a career in pharmacogenomics as they have. So, don't quit your full time pharmacist job to become a pharmacogenomics consultant until you listen to this enlightening episode of the PGx for Pharmacists Podcast! https://cpicpgx.org/

The role pharmacists play in the community is the same one they should be playing in clinical research. Community-based clinical trials in general can be better for patient care, the pharmacy as a profession, and study sponsors who have long had trouble recruiting enough patients into their studies.   Within the next decade, Gerald Finken, founder and CEO of RxE2 predicts, pharmaceutical companies will no longer be running clinical trials that exclude pharmacy professionals because it will simply be too costly and overly risky.   When shipping drugs directly to patients, as has become customary with decentralized clinical trials (DCTs), many state pharmacy laws specifically stipulate that they follow the practice of pharmacy—which includes patient counseling and patient-specific labeling.   Today we talk about ‘The Evolution of Clinical Trials and the Pharmacist’s Role’  

The high cost and complexity of specialty medications often contribute to adherence issues that negatively impact patient outcomes. Increasing adherence requires streamlined access to specialty medications and clear and frequent communication with patients to discuss dosage, frequency, side effects, interactions, and more. Learn how Bausch Health and Omnicell Specialty Pharmacy Services worked together to improve adherence to XIFAXAN, a specialty medication used to treat overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE), by expediting the prior authorization process and conducting in-depth medication counseling. Ken Perez, Vice President, Healthcare Policy and Government Affairs

We welcome Dr. Kristin Tallent, PharmD to the Pharmacy Podcast Network with the release of POCTalk. Kristin is a pharmacist with a wealth of experience in various aspects of pharmacy. After the pandemic hit, she specialized in point-of-care testing services in her community. She has since taken that knowledge and has helped many pharmacists and pharmacy owners successfully implement POCT programs in their pharmacies. 

Host Jason Callori and Pharmacist Lynette Glockner discuss the Outcomes™ platform and how it has allowed her to lessen her DIR fees, improve her EQUIPP scores, increase revenue and empower the connections within her pharamcy to become the healthcare destination for her community. To learn more about the Outcomes™  Platform visit getoutcomes.com.

This Week in Pharmacy: Bruce Kneeland joins Todd Eury for his last podcast of 2022 to discuss prpearing for the new year with 7 Proven Management Principles Being Used By Successful Pharmacy Owners.    1.         Have a noble cause, vision, purpose with a passion 2.         Building a team 3.         Run a well-oiled machine 4.         Be a people person 5.         Do something else exceptionally well  6.         Be the local media guru  7.         Don’t be afraid to ask for outside help